News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
News, views and advertising of the Grand Coulee Dam Area
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When we were kids, we had dreams of being a firefighter, police officer or other things. Those dreams were influenced by a bunch of different things, including parents, grandparents, neighbors and books and TV. Somewhere along the line, as we are trying to figure out what direction we want to go, a significant event affects our decision making. It could be a counselor talking to us about career choices, or it could just be a strong desire to do better for ourselves to get out of a poverty situation. Sometimes it even could be the realization... Full story
California is in the midst of a fierce water war, a conflict that holds lessons for us in Washington state. In many ways, we are alike. Both of our states’ populations are growing and we have some of the world’s most prolific agriculture regions, which require lots of water. Washington is served by a vast network of storage reservoirs that make up the Columbia River drainage. It stretches from the northern Canadian Rockies to as far south as Wyoming. On the other hand, California, with its 38 million people, has series of reservoirs in the Sie... Full story
The construction trestle, with deck at El. 1180, approaches the spillway section of the dam. The Bethlehem Steel Co., Equipment mounted on a work barge to be used by the Pacfic Bridge Co., contractors, for placing prepakt concrete around the base of the Right Powerhouse training wall. - March 6, 1949... Full story
I gave the college kids a mixed bag of goods last week about the nature of newspapers and media in general, and tied it to some worries I have about the health of our democracy. Asked to be this year’s “publisher in residence” at Washington State University’s Edward R. Murrow School of Communications, I spent a couple days at WSU talking with students about what it’s like to be a small-town newspaper editor and publisher. I started out by holding one up, so they’d know what I was talking about. That’s because the vast majority come from a city,... Full story
It seems ironic that on the same day that a huge increase in gas prices is seen in the area, the Washington State Senate passes a $15 billion transportation package that includes an 11.7 cent per gallon gas tax increase. It is fiscal irresponsibility to put more money into the hands of WSDOT for spending on boondoggles like Western Washington projects such as Hwy. 99/Bertha and the new Hwy. 520 bridge. The 12th. district will see little of this but the taxpayers will see much in their gas expenditures. Speaking of the 12th. district, it should... Full story
I think we’ve missed one possible explanation for Rudy Giuliani’s behavior: Maybe he’s concealing the fact that he suffered a blow to the head severe enough to cause lasting damage to his prefrontal cortex. That’s the high-function part of the brain that controls, among many things, the ability to inhibit impulses, allowing us to regulate what we say and do. Actually, chances are that it’s not that at all, that Giuliani is continuing his very calculated effort to stay relevant by appealing to the ugliest emotions of the Republican Party’s base.... Full story
I am sad to see Mayor Jerry Sands resign. He has been a very good mayor. But I can understand his frustration and his wanting time for the family because the mayor job is a full-time commitment. Honestly, I don’t know how he withstood the office as long as he did. I wish Jerry Sands the best and a happier time from now on. I thank you, Jerry, for your dedication and persistence. Carl Russell... Full story
It is with mixed emotions I am writing this after reading the article regarding Jerry Sands resigning as mayor of Electric City. I am a personal friend of Jerry and Connie, so I am aware of how they want to be able to travel, spend time with their beautiful family and grandchildren. It has cost them much valuable family time with his being active as the mayor. Unfortunately, when a person has a position as such they do not see the sacrifices. Jerry has been a forthright mayor and has always wanted the best for the city; he was never a one-man... Full story
I know Jerry Sands (mayor of Electric City) had thoughts about retiring last election, but as there were no other persons running for mayor, he stepped up to the plate and once again took on the responsibility. I, for one, am sorry to see him go. I know how hard he has worked and how much he has accomplished. I would like to thank him for his years of service and for helping a novice council member try to understand the ins and outs at this job. Goodbye Jerry, you will be missed. Lonna Bussert... Full story
14ers, now is the time for you to step up and help with your city government. All of the Mikes, Lees, Clays, Marks, Bobs, Joes, Janes, Marys, etc, (local 509ers) who do not want 206ers, aka “coasties” to run your city. “They are just trying to make it Seattle!”, is what the locals said. Well, as least they are not trying to make it a town with no grocery stores, or shopping, only a few grades of schools, not public transportation, no doctors or hospitals. Locals, it’s now your turn to step up and fix this city, if you think you can. Electric... Full story
Accessory building do have size limits in Electric City. The accessory survey that the planning commission had the city mail out last September did show that the community did want some size limits on out buildings, 34% to 64%. That is why the commission put in the following restrictions: The building can only be 26 feet tall, they have 6 inches of set back for every foot over 18 feet. They also can’t be in front of the home, must be set back off of the house at least 5 feet and any street 20 feet. Furthermore, depending on what zone you l... Full story
A coach once told me that a bad loss is sometimes the best thing for a team. It lets you know that there are still things to work on and that it exposes our weaknesses. That statement can be applied to our everyday life as well. Sometimes we are going through our delicately balanced life, doing all the things we want to and are required to do; everything is going along just peachy when something happens that disrupts everything. It could be a major life event or a small road bump, but we take notice and realize things were not as good as we tho... Full story
There are two closely held, widely believed, narratives about rural America. The national media narrative, with roots in the 1980’s farm crisis, is fatalistic. Rural places are dying. It lives on at the Brookings Institute and the New York Times, fueled by demographics that show decades of population decline across much of rural America. The other narrative is woven by small town boosters. They point to new demographic data showing 30-49 year olds returning to small towns. They talk with passion about new businesses and housing shortages. T...
My wife Connie and I retired in 1999 and moved to Electric City from Seattle. We did some investing in the area, did a lot of fishing and I played a lot of golf. Then one day in 2005, Troy Ritter asked if I would consider running for Electric City Council. I finally said yes and was elected and started in 2006. Then in March of 2009, after Mayor Ray Halsey passed away, I became mayor for the last nine months of his term. I was re-elected in November of 2009 for a four-year term and re-elected in 2013. Connie and I have two sons and a daughter... Full story
The voters in our Grand Coulee Area know how important it is to Support Strong Schools. The school levy passed, and it will allow the school district to maintain and operate the new debt-free school. Several community volunteers helped by being “sign-walkers”: Steve and Sheila Sauer, Susan Kennedy, Marsha Fields, Joe Tynan, Marian Spackman, Jim Depew, myself. We also had Michael Williams walk around with a sign at the boys’ basketball game. Megan and her son, Caden, walked in Electric City showing support for the levy. The levy committee neede... Full story
Many of us can recall the days of the Service Station, a place where one went to get the gas tank filled, windshield washed, oil checked, among other things, all while one waited in the vehicle and the person at the Service Station performed the service for us. One rarely sees such things today, but we have one right among us. It is Jackson’s Chevron Service at Nespelem! They have Full Service and Self Serve pumps so one has a choice. These fantastic folks, Chick, Denny and Robert Jackson and all their other crew members provide a wide v... Full story
I was disappointed to read an inaccurate account of what happened at last week’s Electric City Council meeting in Roger Lucas’ “Electric City pathway proposed” article in the February 11th Star Newspaper. For clarification, the proposed pathway that Mr. Parrish was quoted as presenting at the city council meeting was barely mentioned. Mr. Parrish brought it up, gave a few general comments about the project, stated that there needs to be a committee formed to work on the idea and also mentioned that he had a meeting scheduled with the Bureau... Full story
Valentine’s month is a good time to celebrate the work that is being done to reduce healthcare-associated infections in our community and to engage consumers in their own care. After all, Coulee Medical Center shares its heart with everyone. We believe one’s family is the most important thing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that each year in the United States, at least 2 million people become infected with bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. At least 23,000 people die each year as a direct result of these inf... Full story
The legislative session is approaching the half-way mark and there are many important issues being discussed and debated; education, transportation, the environment, public safety, healthcare, taxes, and economic development to name a few. The pages, websites and broadcasts of our local media have contained many articles and stories about the goings-on in Olympia and we commend them for keeping the citizens of our communities informed on these important issues. There is another issue of high importance to law enforcement that we want to bring... Full story
Our kids need us. That part we can all agree on, but it is the how that can sometimes get overwhelming, causing some of us to drag our feet and hope someone else will take up the cause. The other barrier is sometimes we let the “Bad” kid or the troubled youth color our blank page for all kids, leaving us with an unfair representation of all kids in our area. Words like spoiled, undisciplined and out of control are common phrases and ideas that can sometimes bring down whole generations as we use our small example to classify the whole group. Gr... Full story
Several bills before the Legislature this session all seek to weaken in some way the state’s model Public Records Act, and therefore, the entire state. One of the most egregious, HB 1349, is scheduled for a hearing Thursday afternoon before the House of Representatives’ State Government Committee, on which 12th District Rep. Brad Hawkins sits. The bill purportedly seeks to protect corrections workers, but does so in a way that would basically make the state’s Public Records Act ineffective for many legitimate and beneficial uses, inclu... Full story
This has been a pretty fun subject for our family in the last week. Since Jesse and I met, music has always been a subject, a game and just what we do. So, since he’s asking for input and not just (Jess) saying, I thought I’d share some of my influences. Although, it’s too hard to limit to just bands, so I’ve got to include artists. My family definitely influenced my likes, but I’ve always been a little rebellious and went out on my own limb. My first love was Charlie Rich. I remember arguing with my aunt, cousin and mom about how he was so muc... Full story
Yes, at the March 6, 2013 Colville Tribal Council Management and Budget Committee Meeting, where Committee Chair Billy Nicholson held court and Mike Finley, Council Chair, sat next to, and huddled with, Billy, censorship was far beyond them saying (paraphrase) “People don’t want to read these opinions.” It’s important to review this because of the Council’s stated motives for censorship. The first cause for censorship of Letters To The Editor (in the Tribal Tribune) that came out of the Clowncil’s collective mouth was, “It’s too expensive,... Full story
I recently had the honor of being invited to a party for a man that has strong roots in our community. This column could have easily been called “Past Gems in the Coulee” or “Where are these Gems now” but this man is much more than a part of our past around here. Gary Kuiper is still as relevant today as he was years ago. It became apparent very quickly listening to the people from all generations and parts of Gary’s life that he has influenced a lot of folks all around this big country of ours. His seven kids told stories of their adventure... Full story
1 years ago Information released by the town of Coulee Dam under the state Public Records Act, indicates Clark Slattery has received a settlement of $13,472.23 for almost 30 year of double billing on his monthly electric bill at his home on River Drive. The town’s June, 2004 audit of residential electrical meters, showed Slattery had been double paying based on an 80 multiplier instead of 40, despite his complaints about the high bills as far back as 1977; he was told by the town clerk at the time that he just had a big house. Later, he had h... Full story
